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Distal Turbidite Fan/Lobe Succession of the Late Oligocene Zuberec Fm

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Distal Turbidite Fan/Lobe Succession of the Late Oligocene Zuberec Fm Open Geosci. 2017; 9:385–406 Research Article Dušan Starek* and Tomáš Fuksi Distal turbidite fan/lobe succession of the Late Oligocene Zuberec Fm. – architecture and hierarchy (Central Western Carpathians, Orava–Podhale basin) https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2017-0030 cesses. Third, a largescale trend documented by generally Received Jun 07, 2016; accepted May 07, 2017 thickening-upward stacking pattern of beds, accompanied by a general increase of the sandstones/mudstones ratio Abstract: A part of the Upper Oligocene sand-rich turbidite and by a gradual change of percentage of individual fa- systems of the Central Carpathian Basin is represented by cies, could be comparable to lobe-system scale. This trend the Zuberec Formation. Sand/mud-mixed deposits of this probably indicates a gradual basinward progradation of formation are well exposed in the northern part of the lobe system controlled by allogenic processes related to basin, allowing us to interpret the turbidite succession as tectonic activity of sources and sea-level fluctuations. terminal lobe deposits of a submarine fan. This interpre- tation is based on the discrimination of three facies asso- Keywords: Zuberec Formation, submarine lobe deposits, ciations that are comparable to different components of architectural elements, hierarchy, turbidite facies distributive lobe deposits in deep-water fan systems. They correspond to the lobe off-axis, lobe fringe and lobe distal fringe depositional subenvironments, respectively. The in- ferences about the depositional paleoenvironment based 1 Introduction on sedimentological observations are verified by statistical The Upper Oligocene sand-rich turbidite systems, repre- analyses. The bed-thickness frequency distributions and senting an important component of Central Carpathian Pa- vertical organization of the facies associations show cyclic leogene Basin (CCPB), were controlled by fast subsidence trends at different hierarchical levels that enable us tore- in concurrence with the sea-level fluctuations [e.g. 1–5]. construct architectural elements of a turbidite fan. First, The interpretation of ancient turbidite systems re- small-scale trends correspond with shift in the lobe ele- quires to study architectural elements of the depositional ment centroid between successive elements. Differences system [e.g. 6–11]. A key outcrop-derived characteristic of in the distribution and frequency of sandstone bed thick- submarine fan deposits is the presence of systematic verti- nesses as well as differences in the shape of bed-thickness cal patterns in bed thickness and grain size distribution. In frequency distributions between individual facies associ- general, thickening or coarsening-upward cycles are con- ations reflect a gradual fining and thinning in a down-dip sidered to be a sign of submarine lobe environment and direction. Second, meso-scale trends are identified within thinning or fining cycles may relate to channel and lev- lobes and they generally correspond to the significant pe- ees environment [e.g. 12–16]. The bed thickening- and/or riodicity identified by the time series analysis of the bed coarsening-up packages of lobes were considered to reflect thicknesses. The meso-scale trends demonstrate shifts in progradation [e.g. 11, 13, 17–20]. However, vertical patterns the position of the lobe centroid within the lobe system. in bed thickness may also correspond to compensational Both types of trends have a character of a compensational cycles as a result of the smoothing of the depositional to- stacking pattern and could be linked to autogenic pro- pography associated with lobe abandonment and switch- ing [9, 10, 21–25]. This study is focused on turbidite succession which *Corresponding Author: Dušan Starek: Earth Science Institute we interpret as terminal lobe deposits of a turbidite sys- SAS, Geological Division, Dúbravská cesta 9, 842 36 Bratislava; Email: [email protected] tem. These deposits crop out in the northern part (Orava– Tomáš Fuksi: Earth Science Institute SAS, Geological Division, Podhale Basin) of the CCPB and they are referred to as the Dúbravská cesta 9, 842 36 Bratislava Zuberec Formation [26] or Chochołów beds [sensu 27, 28]. Open Access. © 2017 D. Starek and T. Fuksi, published by De Gruyter Open. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License 386 Ë D. Starek and T. Fuksi Figure 1: A - location of study area within the Alpine-Carpathian orogen; B - the Central Carpathians Paleogene Basin system depicting structural sub-basins, basement massifs and surrounding units; C - geological sketch of the Orava region [modified after 33, 100, 101] with situated locality studied. D - location of studied sections (N49∘22´24.01´´, E19∘48´43.27´´). The Zuberec Formation was defined on the basis of lithol- but these outcrops are often poorly exposed, discontinu- ogy and according to Gross et al. [26], it differs from oth- ous and usually include a rather smaller number of beds, ers “flyschoid” formations in the CCPB mainly by sand- and are mostly too small to be compatible with a modern stone/mudstone ratio and by stratigraphic superposition deepwater turbidite system. However, floods in 2014 exca- (see chapter Geological setting). However, the later re- vated long parts of a turbidite succession in the bedrock of search indicates that many turbidity sequences in Orava Dunajec river in Chocholow, near the Polish–Slovak bor- and Podhale regions are lithologically identical to the def- der (Figure 1D). This turbidite section completely exposed inition of the Zuberec Formation but they are younger and more than 1000 beds, and provided a unique opportunity rather correspond to the Biely Potok Formation that is typ- to study vertical variation in bed thickness and sedimen- ically characterized by massive sandstone sequences [2, 4, tary structures. The study enables to define the sedimen- 29, 30]. This suggests that the simplified model of verti- tary facies and depositional mechanisms that have shaped cal development of the basin fill [c.f. 26] during sequence- them. An occurrence of individual facies, their frequency, stratigraphic development of the CCPB, does not reflect the vertical relationships, the ratio of sandstone and mud- lateral depositional variability of the deep-water deposi- stone,and dominant facies transitions are an important as- tional system. pect for discrimination of the facies associations and the Turbidite sequences of the Zuberec Formation were interpretation of the depositional environment. A vertical studied recently at several outcrops in the Orava region, organization of the facies associations can be described as Distal turbidite fan/lobe succession of the Late Oligocene Zuberec Fm. Ë 387 Figure 2: Descriptive lithostratigraphy of the filling in the western part of the Central-Carpathian Paleogene Basin. Nomenclature ofthe formations according to Gross et al. [26, adapted]. Biostratigraphy is based on the data from Starek [2, 4], Olszewska – Wieczorek [34], Gedl [35], Soták et al. [36] and Garecka [37]. thickening- or thinning-upward units that are helpful in to crustal thinning, either as a result of subcrustal ero- reconstruction of architectural elements and classification sion [e.g. 31], or due to the extensional collapse of the their distality within turbidite fan. Facies associations can overthickened Central Western Carphatians crust and the be interpreted within the framework of a lobe system sug- pull of the retreating subduction of the External Western gested by Prélat et al. [9]. Carpathians oceanic lithosphere [5]. The basin covered most of the Central Western Carpha- tians area (Figures 1A,1B) and is mainly filled up by flysch- 2 Geological setting like deposits, which overlap the substrates of the pre- Senonian nappe units and their thickness reach up to a thousand metres. The age of the sedimentary forma- The CCPB lies inside the Western Carpathian Mountain tions ranges from the Bartonian [e.g. 32, 33] to the lat- chain (Figure 1A) and belongs to the basinal system of est Oligocene [c.f. 3, 34–37] (Figure 2). The sediments of the Peri- and Paratethyan seas. The basin accommodated the CCPB are preserved in many structural sub-basins, in- a forearc position on the destructed Alpine-Carpathian- cluding the Žilina, Rajec, Turiec, Orava, Liptov, Podhale, Pannonian microplate margins and in the hinterland of Poprad, and Hornád Depressions (Figure 1B). In the study the Outer Western Carpathian accretionary prism [e.g. 3]. area, the CCPB sediments are bounded by the Central The opening and evolution of the CCPB probably related 388 Ë D. Starek and T. Fuksi Carpathian units in the south, while the northern bound- complicated if the bed is thinning out laterally, contains ary is represented by the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Figure 1C). preserved bedforms morphology or has been eroded. In The CCPB deposits (the so-called Podhale Palaeogene these cases, the average was used. Amalgamated sand- in the Poland or the Podtatra Group sensu Gross [26, 38]) stone beds as a result of multiple flows with no obvious are commonly divided into the following formations [26] bed interface are inferred to represent a single bed. Only (Figure 1C, Figure 2) (their equivalents in the Podhale thickness of sandstone was measured for turbidite beds basin sensu Gołąb and Watycha [27, 28] are given in because related mudstones can not be distinguished from brackets). The lowermost, Borové Formation (the so-called overlying pelagic deposits. No correction
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